Broom-bridle.



PATENTBD JUNE 7, 1904.

N. N. S. MATGOVITGH.

BROOM BRIDLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2z, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

' UN'TTED STATES Patented June '7, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE;

BROONl-BRIDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming palt of Letters Patent No. 762,076, dated June 7,1904.

Application led July-22, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS N. S. MATCO- vrreH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Sacramento, in the county of Sacramento and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Broom-Bridles,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved attachment for brooms which isdesigned to increase the life of a broom by strengthening it adjacent toits point of attachment with the handle and to preserve its shape bygripping and clamping the straw in such manner as to control itsspreading, whereby compensation is made for the wear which usuallytakesplace by reason of the operator sweeping always with one side of thebroom or exerting more pressure on one side than on the other.

It consists of the parts and the construction and combination ofparts,as hereinafter more fully described, having reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 illustrates the application ofmy invention to a broom. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the clampingattachment. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the plates f1.

A represents two. spring members formed by bending a piece of suitablespring-wire centrally in a loop Q to inclose the broom-handle 3 andadapted to extend downward parallel with the edges and in the generalplane of the broom. l y

Hinged to loop 2 on each side of the broom is a metal plate 4, which hasthe lateral extensions 5 at its lower end. Bails 6, which are eachadapted to embrace approximately half of the upper portion of the broom,are pivoted to these extensions 5 of plates 4 and are designed to engagethe corrugations 7'of the spring' members A to draw the latter in moreor less tight against the broom, as desired. The loop is made fast tothe handle by means of the plates 8, the purpose being te increase thestiffness of the bridle.

The spring members. A have each an extendible portion a, adjustable upand down by means of the clamp device 9, and the .lower ends of theseportions c support the spreader and gripper portion of the bridle, bywhich the shape of the brush portion of the broom Serial No. 166,573.(No model.)

12 13, the members 10 and 12 being curved at their outer ends anddetachably hinged together, as at 14, similarly with 11 and 18 at theirouter ends. All the members may be provided with the cross-pins 15,standing in the plane of the clamp, and in order to permit of theextension and contraction of the clamp the inner members, as 11 and 12,are each slotted, as shown at 16, to accommodate the pins of its fellowmember. For the same reason the clamp-collars 17 are slotted on theirinner sides. In case the broom should be so thick as to spread the clampsides apart abnormally the cross-pieces 18 may be provided, having alixed point of attachment with one side of the clamp and provided withhooks 19 to engage on the opposite side.

In operation the bridle is engaged over the broom, as shown in Fig. 1,the compressionof the members A being regulated by the bails, asdescribed, so as suitably to embrace and support the broom at thatpoint, and the spreading and gripping portion engaged with the looserbody of the straw to spread the latter symmetrically, adjusting theheight of the spreader from the end of the broom by means of the clamps9 and locking the spreader by its clamps 17l and screws 20. Bycontracting the clamp the broom may be made narrower at the bottom, andby extending it the broom will be proportionately widened. As the broomis worn the spreader or gripper portion may be readjusted higher up fromtime to time, the extendible character of the end members A c and alsoof the clamp members 10 11 12 13 allowing of this and at the same timeaccommodating the device to the consequent narrowing of the broom-body.The hold of the gripper portion is such on the IOO straw that when thebroom becomes worn to a point where it generall y results in the broombeing thrown away the stitching of the broom may be cut, the gripperacting' in its stead, thus leaving a greater length of llexible strawand considerably prolonging the life of the broom.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, isy l. A broom attachment comprising a bridle havingextendible contractible sides each having one end lixed to the handleand said members thence extending downwardly in diverging lines andnormally tending to spread outwardly, and a clamp and gripper portionattached to the lower ends or' the side members, said members corrugatedat points intermediate of the ends, and means supported on the handleand engaging said corrugated portions to compress the side members anddraw them more closely toward each other, said clamp and gripperportionincluding members capable of independent movement toward and fromeach other.

2. A broom attachment comprising a bridle formed from a piece ofspring-wire bent centrally upon itsel'tl to form a loop to receive thebroom-handle, the side members of the wire di verging downwardly andbeing corru gated, plates pivotally secured to the looped portion ol thewire and extending` down over the flat sides of the broom, bailspivotally secured to the lower portions of the plates and extendingoutwardly and engaging the corrugated portions of the wire, and a liberclamping and gripping portion supported by the side members of the wireat points below the lower ends of said plates.

3. The combination in a brush or broom bridle, of a clamp and gripperportion Jfor the fiber and-comprising extendible members one slidablc onthe other and both provided with transverse pins or teeth, one or' saidmembers being longitudinally slotted to receive and permit the movementof the pins of the other member, and each of the said members being-formed of two members detachably connected.

4. An adjustable vspreader and gripper for brooms comprising hingedextendible side members, intermediate pins or teeth carried by saidmembers, certain of said members being slotted to accommodate said pinsto the contraction and extension of said gripper, and means extendingacross the space between the sides of the gripper to prevent lateralspread.

In testimony whereot` I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

NICIIOLS N. S. MATCOVITCH.

